Pouch container and method for manufacturing pouch container

ABSTRACT

A pouch container as one example of an embodiment is equipped with wall-surface sheets and a grip part, said wall-surface sheets constituting at least a first surface and a second surface that face each other. The grip part comprises an interior sheet that is joined to the inner surface of the first surface and/or the second surface and openings that are formed on the wall-surface sheet to which the interior sheet is joined at positions where the wall-surface sheet overlaps with the interior sheet.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a pouch container and a manufacturingmethod of a pouch container.

BACKGROUND

Pouch containers have superior characteristics such as light weight andease of discard, and thus are used widely particularly for refillingcontainers for various toiletry products or the like. For example, inthe use of pouch containers for refilling containers, it is desired thatthe container can be easily held when the contents are refilled. Inparticular, this need become higher as the capacity of the container isincreased.

In consideration of such circumstances, pouch containers in which theease of holding of the container is improved have been proposed (forexample, refer to Patent Documents 1 and 2). The pouch containersdisclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 have hand-grabbing holes intowhich a hand can be inserted, in a heat seal portion of the containerformed by pasting films.

CITATION LIST Patent Literature

Patent Document 1: JP 2004-359258 A

Patent Document 2: JP 2004-359259 A

SUMMARY Technical Problem

In the pouch containers of Patent Documents 1 and 2, however, it isnecessary to form the sealing portion in a large area in order toprovide the hand-grabbing hole, resulting in a reduced capacity of thecontainer. Alternatively, the outer shape of the container must be madelarge in order to secure the container capacity. In addition, for thepouch containers of the related art including the pouch containers ofPatent Documents 1 and 2, there still remains room for improvement forthe ease of holding.

Solution to Problem

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided apouch container comprising: at least one of wall-surface sheets thatform at least a first surface and a second surface which oppose eachother; and a holding portion, wherein the holding portion comprises: atleast one of an interior sheet that is bonded to an inner surface of atleast one of the first surface and the second surface; and an openingformed on the wall-surface sheet to which the interior sheet is bonded,at a position overlapping the interior sheet.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provideda method of manufacturing a pouch container comprising a first surfacesheet, a second surface sheet that opposes the first surface sheet, atop gusset sheet that connects an upper end of the first surface sheetand an upper end of the second surface sheet, a bottom gusset sheet thatconnects a lower end of the first surface sheet and a lower end of thesecond surface sheet, and a pouring outlet that establishescommunication between an inside and an outside of the pouch container,the method comprising: an opening forming step in which an opening isformed on the second surface sheet; a first bonding step in which aninterior sheet is bonded on an inner surface of the second surfacesheet, at a position overlapping the opening; and a second bonding stepin which the sheets forming the pouch container are bonded togetherafter the first bonding step.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

According to an aspect of the present invention, there can be provided apouch container having a holding portion with a structure which does notaffect the container capacity. In addition, the pouch containeraccording to the present invention can be stably held using the holdingportion, and, for example, a superior refilling operation can be enabledeven when the pouch container is applied for a refilling containerhaving a large container capacity. Moreover, the pouch containeraccording to the present invention can be easily manufactured by anexisting bag production process.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of a pouch container according to a firstpreferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional diagram along a line AA in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional diagram along a line BB in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional diagram of a pouch containeraccording to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention, ina state where the container is filled with contents.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a manufacturing method of a pouchcontainer according to the first preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a holding form of a pouch containeraccording to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a front view of a pouch container according to an alternativeconfiguration of the first preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, showing a state where a tongue piece is folded inside.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a part of a cross section along a line CC ofFIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of an upper end of an interior sheet.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example process of an end of an interiorsheet.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example process of an end of aninterior sheet.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing another example process of an end of aninterior sheet.

FIG. 13 is a front view of a pouch container according to anotheralternative configuration of the first preferred embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 14 is a front view of a pouch container according to anotheralternative configuration of the first preferred embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional diagram along a line DD of FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional diagram along a line EE of FIG. 14.

FIG. 17 is a vertical cross-sectional diagram of the pouch container ofFIG. 14, showing a state where the container is filled with contents.

FIG. 18 is a front view of the pouch container of FIG. 14, showing astate where a tongue piece is folded inside.

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional diagram along a line FF of FIG. 18.

FIG. 20 is a diagram for explaining a manufacturing method of the pouchcontainer of FIG. 14.

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing a holding form of the pouch container ofFIG. 14.

FIG. 22 is a diagram showing the holding form of FIG. 21, viewed from aside of a back surface sheet.

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing another holding form of the pouch containerof FIG. 14.

FIG. 24 is a front view of a pouch container according to an alternativeconfiguration of the first preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 25 is a front view of a pouch container according to an alternativeconfiguration of the first preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 26 is a front view of a pouch container according to an alternativeconfiguration of the first preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 27 is a perspective view of a pouch container according to a secondpreferred embodiment of the present invention, showing a state where thecontainer is filled with contents.

FIG. 28 is an exploded perspective view of a pouch container accordingto the second preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 29 is a vertical cross-sectional diagram of a pouch containeraccording to the second preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 30 is a diagram showing a state where a pouch container accordingto the second preferred embodiment of the present invention is tilted.

FIG. 31 is a diagram showing a flow of manufacture of a pouch containeraccording to the second preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 32 is a diagram showing a flow of manufacture of a pouch containeraccording to the second preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 33 is a perspective view of a pouch container according to analternative configuration of the second preferred embodiment of thepresent invention, showing a state where the container is filled withcontents.

FIG. 34 is a cross-sectional diagram along a line GG of FIG. 33.

FIG. 35 is a diagram showing an example pouch container of the relatedart.

FIG. 36 is a diagram showing another example pouch container of therelated art.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described indetail with reference to the drawings. The drawings referred to in thedescription of the preferred embodiments are schematically shown, and asize, a ratio, or the like of the constituting elements drawn thereinmay differ from the actual size, ratio, or the like. The specific size,ratio, or the like should be determined in consideration of thefollowing description.

In the description of the preferred embodiments, a part of the containerwhere a pouring outlet is formed is described as an “upper part” of thecontainer. A direction of lamination of the sheets is described as a“front-and-back direction” of the container, and a direction orthogonalto an up-and-down direction (or vertical direction) and thefront-and-back direction is called a “lateral direction” of thecontainer. In the following, the directions may be simply referred to asthe up-and-down direction, the front-and-back direction, and the lateraldirection.

The preferred embodiments are described with the contents filled intothe pouch container being liquid-form substances such as shampoo, liquiddetergent, etc. However, the contents are not limited to the liquid-formsubstances, and may alternatively be, for example, solid-form substancessuch as powders and particulates, or a semi-solid form substance such asjerry-form and gel-form substances. In addition, in the description ofthe preferred embodiments, outlet plugs 20 and 54 are exemplified asexamples of the pouring outlet for the contents, but the pouring outletis not limited to the outlet plug. For example, the pouring outlet maybe formed using members other than the outlet plugs 20 and 54, or may bea flow path formed by a heat seal portion.

In the description of the preferred embodiments, a standing pouch isdescribed having at least a pair of wall-surface sheets forming a firstsurface and a second surface which oppose each other, and a bottomgusset is exemplified. Alternatively, the present invention may beapplied to other pouch forms such as a flat pouch having no bottomgusset sheet, a side gusset pouch having a side gusset sheet, a one-seampouch in which the first surface and the second surface are formed usingone wall surface sheet, and a pouch having both the bottom gusset sheetand the side gusset sheet.

FIGS. 1-26 are diagrams for explaining a first preferred embodiment ofthe present invention. FIGS. 27-34 are diagrams for explaining a secondpreferred embodiment of the present invention.

First Preferred Embodiment

A pouch container 10 according to the first preferred embodiment of thepresent invention will now be described in detail with reference toFIGS. 1-12. FIG. 1 is a front view showing the pouch container 10. FIG.2 is a cross-sectional diagram along a line AA in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 isa cross-sectional diagram along a line BB in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is avertical cross-sectional diagram of the pouch container 10 in a statewhere the container is filled with contents. In the first preferredembodiment, for the purpose of convenience, a front surface of the pouchcontainer 10 is described as a first surface and a back surface isdescribed as a second surface. The pouch container 10 includes, aswall-surface sheets forming the first surface (front surface) and thesecond surface (back surface) which oppose each other, a front surfacesheet 11 serving as a first surface sheet and a back surface sheet 12serving as a second surface sheet.

As shown in FIGS. 1-4, the pouch container 10 is a standing pouch havingthe front surface sheet 11, the back surface sheet 12 which forms atubular structure along with the front surface sheet 11, and a bottomgusset sheet 13 which connects a lower end of the front surface sheet 11and a lower end of the back surface sheet 12. The front surface sheet 11and the back surface sheet 12 (hereinafter, these sheets may becollectively referred to as “front and back surface sheets”) arewall-surface sheets which form a front surface portion and a backsurface portion, respectively, of wall-surface portions of thecontainer. The bottom gusset sheet 13 is a wall-surface sheet which isfolded and inserted between the front surface portion and the backsurface portion and which forms a bottom gusset (godet). The bottomgusset sheet 13 is mountain-folded (folded with the crease at the top)in the upward direction, and is expanded by filling of the contents. Aninternal space of the container surrounded by the wall-surface sheetsforms a filling portion 14 into which the contents are filled.

In the pouch container 10, the bottom gusset sheet 13 is insertedbetween the front and back surface sheets, and a seal portion whichbonds the ends of the sheets is formed in this state. In the presentembodiment, as the seal portion, an upper end seal portion 15, a bottomseal portion 16, and a side seal portion 17 are formed. The front andback surface sheets have an approximate quadrangular shape viewed fromthe front, with the up-and-down direction extending longer than thelateral direction (hereinafter the lateral direction may also bereferred to as a width direction and a length in the width direction maybe referred to as a width). The bottom gusset sheet 13 is provided, forexample, at a position ⅙-¼ of the length in the up-and-down direction ofthe sheet from the lower end of the front and back surface sheets.

The pouch container 10 includes, as a pouring outlet which establishescommunication between the inside and the outside of the container, anoutlet plug 20 having a spout 18 having an approximate tubular shapeformed from a hard resin and a cap 19 screwed to the spout 18. The spout18 is inserted between the front and back surface sheets, and bonded tothe front and back surface sheets by the upper end seal portion 15. Thespout 18 is attached to an upper end of a container body (portion otherthan the outlet plug 20) in a state where an axial direction of thespout 18 is along the up-and-down direction.

The upper end seal portion 15 is formed by bonding the upper ends of thefront and back surface sheets. In the present embodiment, as describedabove, the upper end seal portion 15 is formed in a state sandwiching anattachment portion of the spout 18 formed in an approximate ship shapebetween the front and back surface sheets. In other words, the spout 18is provided on the upper end seal portion 15 which is a bonding sectionbetween the upper end of the front surface sheet 11 and the upper end ofthe back surface sheet 12.

The bottom seal portion 16 is a seal portion formed at an end of thebottom gusset sheet 13, and bonds the bottom gusset sheet 13 and thefront and back surface sheets. The bottom seal portion 16 is formed in amanner such that, when the container is filled with the contents, thefront and back surface sheets are separated from each other and thebottom gusset sheet 13 is expanded. In addition, preferably, a cut-out21 is formed on ends in the lateral direction on the bottom gusset sheet13. With this configuration, the front surface sheet 11 and the backsurface sheet 12 are directly bonded, and a stabilized self-standingcharacteristic can be obtained. The side seal portion 17 is formed bybonding the front surface sheet 11 and the back surface sheet 12 at endsin the width direction of the container. A part of the side seal portion17 is formed in a state where ends in a width direction of an interiorsheet 26 to be described later are sandwiched between the front and backsurface sheets.

The pouch container 10 has a holding portion 25. The holding portion 25includes the interior sheet 26 bonded to an inner surface of at leastone of a front surface portion and a back surface portion of thecontainer body, and an opening 29 formed on the wall-surface sheet towhich the interior sheet 26 is bonded, at a position overlapping theinterior sheet 26. The opening 29 functions as an insertion hole forfingers. The opening 29 may alternatively be used when the container ishooked on a hook or the like. In the pouch container 10, the interiorsheet 26 is bonded only to the inner surface of the front surface sheet11 forming the front surface of the container, and the opening 29 isformed on the front surface sheet 11, at a position overlapping theinterior sheet 26.

The holding portion 25 is preferably provided at a lower side of thecontainer in relation to the outlet plug 20 even in the case where theoutlet plug 20 is attached to a location other than the upper end of thecontainer body. The holding portion 25 has, for example, an approximatequadrangular shape viewed from the front, with the width directionextending longer than the up-and-down direction. Alternatively, twoholding portions 25 may be formed, but in the present embodiment, oneholding portion 25 is provided on the front surface portion side, andthe interior sheet 26 is bonded only to the inner surface of the frontsurface sheet 11. In other words, the opening 29 which is an openinginto which the finger can be inserted is formed on the front surfacesheet 11. Alternatively, two interior sheets may be bonded respectivelyto the inner surfaces of the front and back surface sheets, an openingmay be formed on one of the front and back surface sheets, and theholding portion may be formed on one side.

The sheets forming the pouch container 10 are normally formed from resinfilms. The resin films forming the sheets are required to exhibit basiccapabilities as a wrapping structure, such as impact endurance, wearendurance, and heat endurance. In addition, as the seal portions arenormally formed by heat sealing, heat seal characteristic is alsorequired for the sheet. As the sheet, a multiple-layer sheet having abase film layer and a sealant layer that gives the heat sealcharacteristic is preferable, and, when a high gas barriercharacteristic is required, a gas barrier layer is preferably formedbetween the base film layer and the sealant layer.

Alternatively, the barrier characteristic may be given to the base filmlayer itself. In this case, the barrier layer is used as the base filmlayer, resulting in a multiple-layer sheet having the barrier layer andthe sealant layer. When the heat seal characteristic is to be given toboth surfaces of the sheet, a single-layer film forming the sealantlayer to be described later may be employed, or, in the case of themulti-layer sheet, two sealant layers of the same type or differenttypes may be included (in this case, structurally, one of the sealantlayers is used as the base film layer), or a sheet having sealant layerson both surfaces of the base film layer may be employed.

Example constituting materials of the base film layer, the sealantlayer, and the gas barrier layer will now be described. The laminationof these layers may be realized by well-practiced laminating methodssuch as, for example, dry lamination by an adhesive, thermal laminationto adhere the layers by heat with a thermal adhesion layer therebetween,or the like.

As films forming the base film layer, there may be exemplified drawn orundrawn films of one or two or more layers formed from polyesters (suchas polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN),polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polycarbonate (PC), or the like),polyolefins (such as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), or thelike), polyamides (such as Nylon-6, Nylon-66, or the like),polyacrylonitrile (PAN), polyimide (PI), polyvinyl chloride (PVC),polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA),polyether sulfone (PES), or the like.

As films forming the sealant layer, there may be exemplified drawn orundrawn films of one or two or more layers formed from low densitypolyethylene (LDPE), linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), acopolymer of ethylene-propylene (EP), cast polypropylene (CPP), orientednylon (ON), a copolymer of ethylene-olefin, a copolymer ofethylene-acrylic acid (EAA), a copolymer of ethylene-methacrylic acid(EMAA), a copolymer of ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), or the like.

As the gas barrier layer, there may be exemplified metal thin films suchas aluminum, resin films such as polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC), acopolymer of ethylene-vinyl alcohol (EVOH), or the like, and films inwhich aluminum, inorganic oxides such as aluminum oxide and silica, orthe like is vapor-deposited (or sputtered) on an arbitrary syntheticresin film (for example, the film may be the base film layer).

On the sheet, a printing layer (not shown) may be provided fordisplaying a product name of the contents, product explanation such asmaterials and cautions on use, and various other designs. For example,the printing layer can be formed on a surface on an inner side of thebase film layer by known methods such as gravure printing.

The structure of the holding portion 25 will now be described in furtherdetail.

The holding portion 25 is formed from the interior sheet 25 bonded to,for example, the inner surface of the front surface sheet 11, and theopening 29 formed on the front surface sheet 11. The holding portion 25has an internal space 27 which is not in communication with the fillingportion 14 and which is a space independent from the filling portion 14.The interior sheet 26 is preferably bonded to the front surface sheet 11only at a peripheral edge thereof by an end edge seal portion 28, and acenter portion thereof is preferably not bonded to the front surfacesheet 11. With such a configuration, there is formed a bag-shapedholding portion 25 is provided in which the internal space 27independent from the filling portion 14 and into which the finger can beinserted, and the portions other than the opening 29 are closed. A usercan insert the finger in the space (internal space 27) between the frontsurface sheet 11 and the interior sheet 26, for example, from theopening 29, and grip a part of the front surface sheet 11 (for example,a band portion 31 to be described later), so that the user can hold thepouch container 10. The holding portion 25 is provided at a lower sideof the container in relation to the outlet plug 20, and is provided, forexample, at approximately the same height as the center of gravity ofthe pouch container 10.

The interior sheet 26 is preferably provided over the entire length inthe lateral direction of the pouch container 10; that is, the entirewidth of the front surface sheet 11. A size of the interior sheet 26 isnot particularly limited so long as the internal space 27 into which thefinger is inserted can be formed between the front surface sheet 11 andthe interior sheet 26, but in consideration of the productivity, theinterior sheet 26 is preferably provided over the entire width of thefront surface sheet 11. In other words, the widths of the front and backsurface sheets and the width of the interior sheet 26 are equal to eachother. By setting the widths of the sheets to be the same value, thepouch container 10 can be manufactured easily and inexpensively by anexisting bag production process using a long-length sheet. In addition,by providing the holding portion 25 by inserting the interior sheet 26between the front and back surface sheets, the pouch container 10 can bemanufactured using typical front and back surface sheets having asealant layer on one surface.

The opening 29 is preferably provided by forming a cut-in line 30 on thefront surface sheet 11. The cut-in line 30 is formed on the frontsurface sheet 11 at a position overlapping the interior sheet 26.Alternatively, in place of the cut-in line 30, a perforation line (lineincluding a cut section and a non-cut section) or a half-cut line may beformed. In this case, the front and back surface sheets can be cut alongthe perforation line or the like during use, to form the opening.

In the example configuration shown in FIG. 1, two openings 29 are formedin the front surface sheet 11. The openings 29 are provided at one endside in the width direction and the other end side in the widthdirection with the center portion of the holding portion 25 in the widthdirection therebetween, by a ring-shaped cut-in line 30, for example,formed in an approximate quadrangular shape or an approximate ellipticalshape as viewed from the front. The openings 29 are long holes extendingin the up-and-down direction, and the length in the up-and-downdirection is shortened as the position becomes closer to the centerportion of the holding portion 25 in the width direction. Between theopenings 29, the band portion 31 elongated in the up-and-down directionis formed. The band portion 31 which is the portion sandwiched betweenthe openings 29 forms a portion held by the user when the pouchcontainer 10 is held using the holding portion 25.

Next, an example manufacturing method of the pouch container 10 will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 5.

FIG. 5 shows, of the manufacturing steps of the pouch container 10, astep of laminating long-length structures of the sheets to form the sealportions. In the present manufacturing step, long-length structures ofthe front surface sheet 11, the back surface sheet 12, the bottom gussetsheet 13, and the interior sheet 26 (hereinafter referred to as“long-length structures 11 z, 12 z, 13 z, and 26 z”) are prepared andlaminated with each other. For the long-length structure 26 z, a sheethaving the heat seal characteristic on both surfaces is preferably used.In the laminating step of the long-length structures, the long-lengthstructure 26 z is inserted between the long-length structures 11 z and12 z overlapped with each other. In addition, the long-length structure26 z is inserted at a position above the long-length structure 13 z andbelow a portion where the outlet plug 20 is to be attached.

In the layering step of the long-length structures, the long-lengthstructures 11 z and 12 z are laminated such that the sealant layersthereof oppose each other, and the long-length structure 13 z ismountain-folded in the upward direction so that the sealant layeropposes the long-length structures 11 z and 12 z. Preferably, a holethat is to become the cut-out 21, and the cut-in line 30 for providingthe opening 29 of the holding portion 25 are formed before the sheetsare laminated. In addition, preferably, after the long-length structure26 z and the long-length structure 11 z are heat-sealed and bonded, theother long-length structures are laminated.

In the long-length structures after the laminating step, the sealportions are formed in a heat seal step. In the heat seal step, the endsof the long-length structures are heat sealed, for example, except forthe portion which is to become the upper end of the container body, toform the seal portions. Then, using a die-cut roll or the like, forexample, the long-length structures are cut at a planned cut line 22, tobe divided into individual container size. Finally, after the fillingportion 14 is filled with the contents from the upper end of thecontainer body, the upper end seal portion 15 is formed in a state wherethe attachment portion of the spout 18 of the outlet plug 20 issandwiched between the upper ends of the front and back surface sheets,to obtain the pouch container 10.

FIG. 6 shows holding of the pouch container 10 using the holding portion25. For example, when the contents are extracted from the pouchcontainer 10, the cap 19 is detached from the spout 18, and the userholds the container with a single hand and tilts the spout 18 verticallydownward. In this process, by inserting the fingers in the internalspace 27 from the two openings 29 and gripping the band portion 31 whichis a portion sandwiched between the openings 29, the user can firmlyhold the pouch container 10. For example, four fingers; that is, anindex finger, a middle finger, a ring finger, and a little finger, areinserted from one opening 29 and the thumb is inserted from the otheropening 29, so that the band portion 31 can be held from both sides inthe width direction.

As described above, the pouch container 10 is stably held by the holdingportion 25. Because of this, even when the pouch container 10 is appliedfor a refilling container having a large container capacity, a superiorrefilling operation can be enabled. In addition, the holding portion 25of the pouch container 10 has a structure which does not affect thecontainer capacity. In other words, the container capacity is notreduced with the provision of the holding portion 25, and it is notnecessary to enlarge the outer shape of the container in order to securethe container capacity.

In a pouch container 10 u exemplified in FIG. 7, an opening 29 u formedby a cut-in line 30 u with an end and a tongue piece 32 which is aremaining portion thereof are provided in a holding portion 25 u. FIG. 7is a front view of the pouch container 10 u (showing a state where thetongue piece 32 is folded inside) and FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a partof a cross section along a line CC of FIG. 7. In the holding portion 25u, two openings 29 u elongated in the up-and-down direction areprovided, and a spacing between the openings 29 u is slightly wider thanthat in the pouch container 10. Because of this, a band portion 31 uwhich is the portion sandwiched between the openings 29 u is also formedin a wider width than in the pouch container 10. The holding portion 25u has the tongue piece 32 having a part connected to a front surfacesheet 11 u at an edge of the opening 29 u, and a remaining partseparated from the front surface sheet 11 u. The tongue piece 32 isfolded, for example, into the internal space 27 when the holding portion25 u is used. When the tongue piece 32 is folded into the internal space27A, the opening 29 u having an approximate quadrangular shape elongatedin the up-and-down direction is opened. In this case, at an edge of theopening 29 u, a curved surface 32 a is formed by the tongue piece 32.With the existence of the curved surface 32 a, biting of the fingers bythe edge of the opening 29 u is reduced, and the holding characteristiccan be improved.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the upper end of the interior sheet 26. Inthe form shown in FIG. 9, the upper and lower end surfaces of theinterior sheet 26 contact the contents (liquid) filled in the pouchcontainer 10. A problem occurring in this case will now be describedwith reference to FIG. 9. The interior sheet 26 preferably has the heatseal characteristic on both surfaces for the purpose of manufacture. Inaddition, when high light-shielding characteristic and gas barriercharacteristic or the like are required, the barrier layer is necessary.As a result, the interior sheet 26 has, for example, a three-layerstructure in which sealant layers L2 and L3 are placed on both sides ofa barrier layer L1.

When an end surface 26 a of the interior sheet 26 of the three-layerstructure contacts the contents (for example, liquid), the contents mayintrude into the portion between the layers, and layer detachment(delamination) may occur. In addition, in many cases, the barrier layerincludes aluminum or inorganic oxides such as aluminum oxide and silica.Depending on the type of the contents, the inorganic oxides may contactthe contents and may be altered. In this case, there is a possibility ofproblems such as reduction in the light-shielding characteristic and gasbarrier characteristic, or alteration of the contents itself.

Thus, when the interior sheet 26 is to have a smaller size than thefront surface sheet 11; that is, when there is a possibility that theupper and lower end surfaces of the interior sheet 26 contact thecontents, it is preferable to isolate the end surface 26 a of theinterior sheet 26 from the internal space of the pouch container 10(filling portion 14). As a method of isolating the end surface 26 a ofthe interior sheet 26, various methods may be employed. For example, asshown in FIG. 10, a tape 33 which is allowed to contact the liquid (forexample, a tape of a single layer having only the sealant layer) may bepasted over the inner surface of the front surface sheet 11 from theedge of the interior sheet 26. In this case, the end surface 26 a of theinterior sheet 26 is covered and hidden by the tape 33, and thus, thecontact of the contents with the end surface 26 a can be prevented.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 11, the pair of sealant layers L2 and L3sandwiching the barrier layer L1 may be set to be slightly longer thanthe barrier layer L1 and extend beyond the end surface of the barrierlayer L1. In this case, when the peripheral edge of the interior sheet26 is heated and heat-sealed, the dissolved sealant layers L2 and L3flow to the end surface of the barrier layer L1 and cover the endsurface of the barrier layer L1. In addition, even in the configurationwhere the sealant layers L2 and L3 are not set to be longer, in theprocess of heat-sealing, by heating exactly the peripheral edge of theinterior sheet 26, a part of the dissolved sealant layers L2 and L3would flow to the end surface of the barrier layer L1 and cover the endsurface of the barrier layer L1. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 12, theperipheral edge of the interior sheet 26 may be folded toward theoutside (side of the front surface sheet 11), and then the interiorsheet 26 and the front surface sheet 11 may be bonded.

In a pouch container 10 v exemplified in FIG. 13 (front view), a widthof an interior sheet 26 v is shorter than a width of the front surfacesheet 11. The interior sheet 26 v is provided in a limited portion inproximity to the portion of the front surface sheet 11 where the opening29 and the band portion 31 are provided, and the internal space of aholding portion 25 v is smaller compared to the pouch container 10.Alternatively, two interior sheets separated from each other may bebonded at the peripheral edge of the two openings 29.

A pouch container 10 w exemplified in FIG. 14 (front view) differs fromthe pouch container 10 in that the pouch container 10 w has a slantedside portion 23 in which corners positioned at an upper part of thefront and back surface sheets are formed in a slanted manner withrespect to the up-and-down direction and the width direction. Inaddition, the pouch container 10 w differs from the pouch container 10in that the pouch container 10 w has two holding portions 25A and 25B. Astructure of the pouch container 10 w will now be described in detailwith reference to FIGS. 14-19. FIG. 14 is a front view of the pouchcontainer 10 w. FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional diagram along a line DD ofFIG. 14, and FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional diagram along a line EE ofFIG. 1. FIG. 17 is a vertical cross-sectional diagram of the pouchcontainer 10 w in a state where the contents are filled.

As shown in FIG. 14, the slanted side portion 23 is formed, for example,in a range of ⅓-½ of the width of the sheet from one end in the widthdirection of the front and back surface sheets. The spout 18 of theoutlet plug 20 is attached to the slanted side portion 23. The spout 18is inserted between the front and back surface sheets, and is bonded tothe front and back surface sheets by an upper end seal portion 15 w. Inother words, the upper end seal portion 15 w funned on the slanted sideportion 23 is formed in a state where the spout 18 is sandwiched betweenthe front and back surface sheets. In the following description, the oneend in the width direction of the container body closer to the outletplug 20 is described as a “first end,” and the other end in the widthdirection at an opposite side from the first end is described as a“second end.”

As shown in FIGS. 14-17, the pouch container 10 w has the two holdingportions 25A and 25B. On inner surfaces of a front surface sheet 11 wand a back surface sheet 12 w, interior sheets 26A and 26B are bondedrespectively. The holding portions 25A and 25B are formed on the frontsurface sheet 11 w and the back surface sheet 12 w by forming openings29A and 29B, which are openings into which fingers can be inserted, atpositions overlapping the interior sheets 26A and 26B, respectively.

The holding portions 25A and 25B are preferably provided at positionswhich oppose each other, and overlap in the front-and-back direction. Inother words, the interior sheets 26A and 26B are bonded to positions onthe inner surfaces of the front and back surface sheets at positionsopposing each other. With such a configuration, a superior holdingcharacteristic can be realized, and the productivity can be improved.The holding portions 25A and 25B have an approximate quadrangular shapeas viewed from the front, elongated longer in the width direction thanthe up-and-down direction, and have the same shape and same size as eachother. Structures common in the holding portions 25A and 25B will bedescribed by exemplifying the holding portion 25A.

Similar to the case of the pouch container 10, the holding portion 25Ais formed in a bag form having an internal space 27A which isindependent from the filling portion 14, and in which portions otherthan the opening 29A are closed. With such a configuration, it becomesdifficult for the finger to slip out from the holding portion 25A, and asuperior holding characteristic can be obtained. The internal space 27Apreferably has a size which can house a plurality of fingers, forexample, the index finger, the middle finger, the ring finger, and thelittle finger of the right hand. In order to enable stable holding ofthe pouch container 10 w, the size of the internal space 27A ispreferably set to a degree to entirely house the finger from the root tothe tip. The interior sheet 26A forming the holding portion 25A ispreferably provided over the entire widths of the front and back surfacesheets, from the viewpoint of the productivity or the like.

The opening 29A is an opening that enables insertion of the finger intothe internal space 27A from the width direction, and is preferablyprovided at a second end side in relation to the center in the widthdirection of the holding portion 25A. The opening 29B is preferablyprovided at an exact back side of the opening 29A. The opening 29A isdesigned such that the finger is inserted from the second end side, andthe finger inserted from the opening 29A is housed in the internal space27A with the fingertip directed toward the first end side. The internalspace 27A is a space extending longer in the width direction, in orderto facilitate housing of the finger. The opening 29A is preferablyprovided by forming a cut-in line 30A on the front surface sheet 11 w.The cut-in line 30A is formed on the front surface sheet 11 w at aposition overlapping the interior sheet 26A. A cut-in line 30B is formedon the back surface sheet 12 w at a position overlapping the interiorsheet 26B, and preferably overlaps the cut-in line 30A in thefront-and-back direction.

The holding portion 25A preferably has tongue pieces 34A and 35A formedat an edge of the opening 29A. The cut-in line 30A exemplified in FIG.14 has a linear portion L formed in a straight line form along theup-and-down direction, and a curved surface portion R formed in anapproximate elliptical shape connected to an upper end and a lower endof the linear portion L. In the opening 29A provided by the cut-in line30A, the upper end and the lower end are opened in an approximateelliptical shape to expose the interior sheet 26A, and an intermediateportion is closed by the tongue pieces 34A and 35A. In other words,because a large part of the openings 29A and 29B is closed by the tonguepiece, when a light-shielding sheet is used for the front and backsurface sheets, even when the interior sheets 26A and 26B aretransparent, it becomes difficult to see the contents, and, for example,a superior appearance of the container can be realized. When it isdesired to block light for the contents, because it becomes moredifficult for the light to reach the filling portion 14, such aconfiguration is preferable.

When it is desired to further block the light for the contents, alight-shielding sheet may be used for the interior sheets 26A and 26B,or the opening may be formed by only the linear portion L. However, inorder to facilitate checking of the opening 29A and to facilitateinsertion of the finger, the opening 29A is preferably partially opened.Alternatively, in place of the cut-in line 30A, a perforation line or ahalf-cut line may be formed. In this case, the front and back surfacesheets may be cut along the perforation line or the like during the use,to form the opening.

As shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, the tongue pieces 34A and 35A are folded,for example, into the internal space 27A when the holding portion 25A isused. When the tongue pieces 34A and 35A are folded into the internalspace 27A, the opening 29A having an approximate quadrangular shapeelongated in the up-and-down direction is opened. In particular, in theholding form exemplified in FIG. 23 to be described later, because thefinger does not contact the end of the front surface sheet 11 w when thetongue piece 35A is folded inside, the finger is not hurt even when alarge load is applied to the finger, and the holding characteristic isimproved.

Next, with reference to FIG. 20, an example manufacturing method of thepouch container 10 w will be described. Similar to FIG. 5, FIG. 20 showsa step, of the manufacturing steps, of laminating long-length structuresof the sheets to form the seal portions. In the present manufacturingprocess, long-lengths structures of the front surface sheet 11 w, theback surface sheet 12 w, the bottom gusset sheet 13, and the interiorsheets 26A and 26B (hereinafter referred to as “long-length structures11 wz, 12 wz, 13 z, 26Az, and 26Bz”, respectively) are prepared andlaminated with each other. For the long-length structures 26Az and 26Bz,sheets having the heat seal characteristic on both surfaces arepreferably used.

In the laminating step of the long-length structures, the long-lengthstructures 13 z, 26Az, and 26Bz are inserted between the long-lengthstructures 11 wz and 12 wz which are overlapped with each other. Inaddition, the long-length structures 26Az and 26Bz are inserted in astate of being overlapped with each other and at a position above thelong-length structure 13 z and below a portion in which the outlet plug20 is attached. With such a configuration, the holding portions 25A and25B are provided at positions opposing each other; that is, positionsoverlapping in the front-and-back direction.

In the laminating step of the long-length structures, the long-lengthstructures 11 wz and 12 wz are laminated in a manner such that thesealant layers thereof oppose each other, and the long-length structure13 z is mountain-folded in the upward direction so that the sealantlayer thereof opposes the long-lengths structures 11 wz and 12 wz.Preferably, a hole that forms the cut-out 21 and the cut-in lines 30Aand 30B for providing the openings 29A and 29B are formed before thesheets are laminated. In addition, preferably, after the long-lengthstructure 26Az and the long-length structure 11 wz are heat-sealed andbonded, and the long-length structure 26Bz and the long-length structure12 wz are heat-sealed and bonded, there long-length structures arelaminated with the long-length structure 13 z.

In the long-length structures after the laminating step, the sealportions are formed in the heat seal step. In the heat seal step, forexample, the seal portions are formed by heat sealing an end edge ofeach long-length structure except for the upper end. Then, using adie-cut roll or the like, for example, the long-length structure is cutat a planned cut line 22 w, to divide into individual container size andto form the slanted side portion 23. Finally, the outlet plug 20 isattached to the slanted side portion 23, to obtain the pouch container10 w. Preferably, a part of the upper end seal portion 15 w is formedafter the container is filled with the contents.

In the above-described example manufacturing process, there is describedan example method which uses the long-length structures 26Az and 26Bz,but alternatively, in place of the long-length structures 26Az and 26Bz,long-length gusset sheets may be used. In this case, the long-lengthgusset sheet is supplied to a bag-producing device, and the gusset sheetis cut along a fold line before or after the sheet is heat-sealed to thewall-surface sheet, to separate the holding portions 25A and 25B.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 21-23, an operation and an effect of thepouch container 10 w will be described in detail. FIGS. 21 and 22 showholding of the pouch container 10 w using the holding portions 25A and25B. For example, when the contents are taken out from the pouchcontainer 10 w, the cap 19 is detached from the spout 18, and thecontainer is holded with a single hand (hereinafter, this hand isassumed to be the right hand), and the spout 18 is tilted verticallydownward. In this process, for example, four fingers; that is, the indexfinger, the middle finger, the ring finger, and the little finger, areinserted from the second end side into the internal space of the holdingportion 25A, and the thumb is inserted into the internal space 27B ofthe holding portion 25B. In particular, the index finger, the middlefinger, the ring finger, and the little finger can be inserted deeplyinto the internal space 27A. For example, the fingertip can be bent sothat the finger is hooked on the interior sheet 26A which is flexible,to enable film holding of the pouch container 10 w. In this process, thetongue pieces 34A and 35A are folded, for example, into the inside ofthe internal spaces 27A and 27B.

Because the fingers inserted into the internal spaces 27A and 27B arecovered by the front and back surface sheets down to the root, even ifthe contents are spilled by an unintentional movement, contact of thecontents with the fingers can be prevented. For example, even whendirect contact of the contents on the skin is not preferable, such as inthe case where the contents are poisonous substances such as chemicals,it is possible to execute the extraction operation safely.

FIG. 23 shows holding of the pouch container 10 w by hooking the fingers(the index finger, the middle finger, the ring finger, and the littlefinger) on the edge of the second end side of the opening 29A of theholding portion 25A. In the holding form shown in FIG. 23, only theholding portion 25A is used. In this process, the tongue piece 34A isfolded into the internal space 27A. By leaving the tongue piece 34A, thecontact of the finger on the end of the front surface sheet 11 w isprevented, the finger is not hurt even when a large load is applied tothe finger, and the holding characteristic can be improved.

The pouch container 10 w is stably held with the holding portions 25Aand 25B. Because of this, even when the pouch container 10 w is appliedfor a refilling container having a large container capacity, a superiorrefilling operation is possible. In addition, the holding portions 25Aand 25B of the pouch container 10 w have a structure which does notaffect the container capacity. In other words, the container capacity isnot reduced by the provision of the holding portions 25A and 25B, andthe outer shape of the container does not need to be enlarged in orderto secure the container capacity.

FIGS. 24-26 show an alternative configuration of the pouch container 10.Here, only a structure on the front surface side is shown, butpreferably, the back surface side has a same structure as the frontsurface side.

In the pouch container 10 x exemplified in FIG. 24, a plurality ofopenings 29Ax are formed at portions overlapping the interior sheet 26Aof a front surface sheet 11 x. The openings 29Ax are provided aligned inthe up-and-down direction with a spacing therebetween. In the exampleconfiguration shown in FIG. 24, four openings 29A opened in a circularshape viewed from the front and having no tongue piece are formed bycut-in lines 30Ax having a circular shape. Alternatively, the shape andnumber of openings can be suitably changed. Into the four openings 29Ax,for example, the index finger, the middle finger, the ring finger, andthe little finger are inserted, respectively.

In a pouch container 10 y exemplified in FIG. 25, an opening 29Ay havingan approximate quadrangular shape elongated along the up-and-downdirection is formed in the front surface sheet 11 y at a portionoverlapping an interior sheet 26Ay. The opening 29Ay has a shape similarto the opening 29A when the opening 29A is opened with the tongue pieces34A and 35A folded into the internal space 27A. The opening 29Ay isformed by a cut-in line 30Ay having an approximate quadrangular shape.In the example configuration shown in FIG. 25, a transparent sheet isused for the interior sheet 26Ay, and the amount of contents can bechecked through the interior sheet 26Ay exposed by the opening 29Ay. Onthe portion of the interior sheet 26Ay which is exposed, for example, atick mark 36 may be formed. With such a configuration, the amount of thecontents can be measured accurately.

In a pouch container 10 z exemplified in FIG. 26, a width of an interiorsheet 26Az is set shorter than a width of the front surface sheet 11. Inother words, the interior sheet 26Az is provided at a region limited toa region near the opening 29A. In such a configuration, the internalspace of a holding portion 25Az is smaller than that of the pouchcontainer 10.

Second Preferred Embodiment

A pouch container 50 according to a second preferred embodiment of thepresent invention will now be described in detail with reference toFIGS. 27-32. FIG. 27 is a perspective view of the pouch container 50,and shows a state where the container is filled with the contents. FIG.28 is an exploded perspective view of the pouch container 50, and FIG.29 is a vertical cross-sectional diagram of the pouch container 50. Inthe second preferred embodiment, a back surface of the pouch container50 is described as a first surface and a front surface is described as asecond surface. The pouch container 50 includes, as wall-surface sheetsforming the first surface (back surface) and the second surface (frontsurface) which oppose each other, a back surface sheet 58 (first surfacesheet) and a front surface sheet 60 (second surface sheet).

As shown in FIGS. 27-29, the pouch container 50 is a standing pouchincluding, similar to the first preferred embodiment, the front surfacesheet 60, the back surface sheet 58 which forms a tubular structurealong with the front surface sheet 60, and a bottom gusset sheet 62which connects lower ends of the front and back surface sheets. Thepouch container 50 further includes a top gusset sheet 64. The pouchcontainer 50 is largely separated into a container body 52 formed bypasting a plurality of sheets, and an outlet plug 54 attached to thecontainer body 52. The pouch container 50 is formed by bonding togetherthe front surface sheet 60 (second surface sheet) forming a frontsurface of the container body 52, the back surface sheet 58 (firstsurface sheet) forming a back surface, the bottom gusset sheet 62forming a bottom gusset (godet), and the top gusset sheet 64 forming atop gusset (godet).

The container body 52 has an approximate cylindrical shape with athickness corresponding to the sizes of the gusset sheets 62 and 64, andis a standing pouch which can self-stand. The container body 52 may beformed with the above-described sheets being different sheets, oralternatively may be formed by folding one sheet. In the followingdescription, the container body is assumed to be formed from differentsheets. The outlet plug 54 has a structure similar to the outlet plug 20used in the first preferred embodiment, has an approximate tubularstructure made of a hard resin, and is attached to the upper end of thecontainer body 52. When the contents of the pouch container 50 are to bepoured out, the pouch container 50 is held and tilted. In order tofacilitate the pour-out process, in the present embodiment, a holdingportion 68 held by the user is provided only on the side of the frontsurface sheet 60 of the pouch container 50. The holding portion 68 isprovided at a lower side of the container in relation the outlet plug54. Structures of the portions of the pouch container 50 will now bedescribed in detail.

As described above, the container body 52 is made of a plurality ofsheets. The front surface sheet 60 and the back surface sheet 58 areplaced opposing each other, the sides are pasted, and an approximatetubular shape is formed. The locations of the front surface sheet 60 andthe back surface sheet 58 where the sides are heat-sealed form a sideseal portion 70 s. The front surface sheet 60 and the back surface sheet58 have approximately the same width. In addition, for the convenienceof the manufacture, a length in the up-and-down direction of the frontsurface sheet 60; that is, the sheet on the surface on which the holdingportion 68 is formed, is shorter than a length in the up-and-downdirection of the back surface sheet 58; that is, the sheet on thesurface on which the outlet plug 54 is attached, and the position of theupper end of the front surface sheet 60 is lower than a position of theupper end of the back surface sheet 58.

On an inner surface of the front surface sheet 60, an interior sheet 66is bonded. The interior sheet 66 has only its peripheral edge bonded tothe front surface sheet 60, and the center portion thereof is not bondedto the front surface sheet 60. Because of this, a space independent fromthe internal space of the pouch container 50 is formed between theinterior sheet 66 and the front surface sheet 60. Of the front surfacesheet 60, at a location overlapping the interior sheet 66, an opening isformed. The opening becomes an opening 71 for the user to insert thefingers when the pouch container 50 is held. The user inserts thefingers from the opening 71 into the space between the front surfacesheet 60 and the interior sheet 66, and grips a part of the frontsurface sheet 60 or hooks the fingers on the front surface sheet 60. Inother words, the opening 71 formed in the interior sheet 66 and thefront surface sheet 60 forms the holding portion 68 for holding thepouch container 50. No particular limitation is imposed on a formationposition of the holding portion 68 so long as the holding portion 68 ison the side of the front surface sheet 60 and is at a lower side of thecontainer than the top gusset sheet 64. However, in consideration of thestability when the pouch container 50 is held, the holding portion 68 ispreferably provided at approximately the same height position as theheight of the center of gravity of the pouch container 50.

No particular limitation is imposed on the size of the interior sheet 66so long as a space into which the finger is inserted can be formedbetween the interior sheet 66 and the front surface sheet 60. However,in consideration of the productivity or the like, the interior sheet 66is provided over the entire width of the front surface sheet 60. Inother words, the width of the interior sheet 66 is preferably set at thesame width as the front surface sheet 60. With such a configuration, thepouch container 50 can be easily and inexpensively manufactured byexisting bag production processes using a long-length sheet. Inaddition, by providing the holding portion 68 by inserting the interiorsheet 66 between the front and back surface sheets, it becomes possibleto manufacture the pouch container 50 using typical front and backsurface sheets having a sealant layer on one surface.

The bottom gusset sheet 62 is a sheet which connects the lower end ofthe front surface sheet 60 and the lower end of the back surface sheet58. The bottom gusset sheet 62 is mountain-folded in the upwarddirection and sandwiched between the front and back surface sheets. Inthis state, the peripheral edge of the bottom gusset sheet 62 and thefront and back surface sheets are bonded together. The locations wherethe peripheral edge of the bottom gusset sheet 62 and the lower ends ofthe front surface sheet 60 and the back surface sheet 58 are heat-sealedbecome a bottom seal portion 70 b. When the pouch container 50 is filledwith the contents, the mountain-folded bottom gusset sheet 62 isexpanded and widened, and gives a thickness to the pouch container 50.

The top gusset sheet 64 is a sheet which connects an upper end of thefront surface sheet 60 and an upper end of the back surface sheet 58.The top gusset sheet 64 is mountain-folded in the downward direction,and sandwiched between the front and back surface sheets. In this state,the peripheral edge of the top gusset sheet 64 and the front and backsurface sheets are bonded together. The locations where the peripheraledge of the top gusset sheet 64 and the upper ends of the front and backsurface sheets are heat-sealed become a top seal portion 70 t. In thepresent embodiment, the upper end position of the front surface sheet 60is lower than the upper end position of the back surface sheet 58.Therefore, the top seal portion 70 t on the side of the front surfacesheet 60 is lower than the top seal portion 70 t on the side of the backsurface sheet 58.

At the top seal portion 70 t which is the bonding location between thetop gusset sheet 64 and the back surface sheet 58, the outlet plug 54 isattached. The outlet plug 54 is an approximate tubular structure made ofa hard resin. The outlet plug 54 comprises a spout 74 bonded to thecontainer body 52, and a cap 76 screwed to the spout 74. As shown inFIG. 28, on the spout 74, a flange 74 a is formed at the center in theup-and-down direction, and an attachment portion 74 b bonded to thecontainer body 52 is formed at a position lower than the flange 74 a.The attachment portion 74 b has an approximate ship shape in which alateral cross-section becomes thinner toward the outer side in a widthdirection of the pouch container 50. As will be described later indetail, in the state where the attachment portion 74 b is sandwichedbetween the upper end of the back surface sheet 58 and the end of thetop gusset sheet 64, the upper end of the back surface sheet 58 and theend of the top gusset sheet 64 are heat-sealed, so that the spout 74 isfixed on the container body 52.

The sheets forming the container body 52 are formed from, for example,resin films. For the materials forming the sheets, the laminationstructure of the sheets, or the like, structures similar to the firstpreferred embodiment can be applied. On the sheet, a printing layer (notshown) may be provided for displaying the product name of the contents,product explanation such as materials and cautions on use, various otherdesigns, or the like.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the container body 52 hasa form having the bottom gusset and the top gusset, the outlet plug 54is provided on the side of the back surface sheet 58, and the holdingportion 68 for holding the pouch container 50 is provided on the side ofthe front surface sheet 60. Such a configuration is employed for thefollowing reason.

When the contents of the pouch container 50 are to be poured out, thepouch container 50 obviously must be held and tilted. In this process,when there is no holding portion 68 on the pouch container 50, the usermust grip the body portion or the like of the pouch container 50directly with the hand. However, if the force of gripping the bodyportion is strong, the pouch container 50 may be compressed, and thecontents may burst out. On the other hand, if the force of gripping thebody portion is weak, the pouch container 50 cannot be held and thepouch container 50 may fall down. Thus, the force application is verysensitive. Because of this, in the case of the pouch container 50 havingno holding portion 68, when the contents are to be poured out, it isnecessary to hold the body portion of the pouch container with one handand place the other hand at the bottom of the pouch container 50. Inother words, in the case of the pouch container 50 having no holdingportion 68, the pour-out operation with a single hand is difficult.

In consideration of this, provision of the holding portion in thestanding pouch has been proposed. For example, as shown in FIG. 35,there is proposed a configuration in which a hole 102 which becomes theholding portion is formed at a seal portion 101 of a pouch container100. However, in this case, in order to form the holding portion, adedicated seal portion 101 must be secured, and a capacity with respectto the size of the pouch container 100 would be reduced. In addition, asshown in FIG. 36, another configuration is proposed in which a handle111 which becomes the holding portion is attached on the back surface ofa pouch container 110 having a bottom gusset. According to such aconfiguration, even if the holding portion is provided, the capacity isnot reduced.

In the case of the pouch container 110 which has only the bottom gussetand has no top gusset as shown in FIG. 36, the thickness of the pouchcontainer 110 becomes thinner toward the top portion side. Because ofthis, the capacity is smaller compared to the pouch container 50 havingthe same width and the same length in the up-and-down direction. Inaddition, in a shop or the like, a plurality of pouch containers arelaid out side by side. In this case, if the pouch container is the pouchcontainer 110 having only the bottom gusset, even when the pouchcontainers are placed with the bottoms of the plurality of pouchcontainers 110 touching each other, spaces are inevitably formed betweenthe top portions.

Further, in consideration of the circumstances of the pour-outoperation, in the case of the pouch container 110, because the thicknessis increased toward the bottom portion, the center of gravity of thecontainer as a whole is at a relative low position. In order to griponly the handle 111 placed at the back surface and tilt the pouchcontainer 110 having the center of gravity at a low position, a largerforce would be required as compared to the case of the pouch container50. Because of this, normally, the pouch container 110 is tilted whilegriping the handle 111 and placing a hand on the bottom portion of thepouch container 110. Moreover, when the contents flow downward due tothe force of gravity when the pouch container 110 is tilted, therelative positional relationship of the center of gravity with respectto the handle 111 tends to drastically change. The user must adjust theangle of tilting the pouch container 110 or the like according to thedrastic change of the position of the center of gravity. Furthermore,because the pouch container 110 has a thinner thickness on the topportion side as compared to the pouch container 50, the pouch container110 is more easily deformed as the amount of the contents is reduced.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, both the top gusset sheet64 and the bottom gusset sheet 62 are provided. With such aconfiguration, the container as a whole has an approximately uniformthickness. As a result, the amount of contents can be increased incomparison to the width and the height. In addition, when a plurality ofthe containers are laid out side by side in the shop or the like, a deadspace tends not to be created, and the exhibition space can beeffectively utilized.

In addition, by setting the thickness to an approximately uniformthickness over the entirety of the pouch container 50, the position ofthe center of gravity can be set at a high position. Therefore, thecontainer can be more easily tilted than the pouch container 110. Inaddition, because the thickness is approximately uniform over the entirecontainer, even when the pouch container 50 is tilted and the contentsflow to the side of the outlet plug 54, the change of the relativepositional relationship of the center of gravity with respect to theholding portion 68 is small. As a result, the pouch container can bestably tilted without a sensitive force adjustment. In addition, becausethe pouch container 50 has a thickness over the whole structure, evenwhen the mount of the contents is reduced, folding or narrowing tendsnot to occur, and the pouch container 50 is not easily deformed. As aresult, a stable pour-out operation is enabled even with a single hand.

In the present embodiment, the outlet plug 54 is provided on a surfaceopposite the holding portion 68. Because of this, as shown in FIG. 30,when the pouch container 50 is held in a manner such that the holdingportion 68 is positioned at an upper side in the force of gravitydirection, the outlet plug 54 positioned at the opposite side of theholding portion 68 is always positioned at a lower side in the force ofgravity direction. As a result, the contents of the pouch container 50smoothly flow to the outlet plug 54 by the action of the force ofgravity.

In the present embodiment, the holding portion 68 is formed from theopening 71 formed in the front surface sheet 60 and the interior sheet66 heat-sealed on the front surface sheet 60. With such a configuration,the pouch container 50 having the holding portion 68 can be easily andinexpensively manufactured by the existing bag production process usinga long-length sheet. In the related art, there is proposed aconfiguration in which a holding portion (handle) made of a materialseparate from the sheet forming the container body is attached on thepouch container, but in such a configuration, the holding portion cannotbe formed in the existing bag production process such as cutting,folding, and bonding of the sheet materials, and a dedicated processmust be provided for forming the holding portion. As a result, the costof the pouch container having the holding portion would be increased andthe manufacturing process thereof would become complicated.

Next, manufacturing steps of the pouch container 50 will be describedwith reference to FIGS. 31 and 32. FIGS. 31 and 32 are diagrams showingmanufacturing steps of the pouch container 50. In FIGS. 31(a)-32(b), thesheet are shown as short-length sheet pieces, but in reality, the sheetare long-length sheets until the sheets are cut in FIG. 32(c).

When the pouch container 50 is manufactured, first, the top gusset sheet64 which is mountain-folded, the bottom gusset sheet 62, and theinterior sheet 66 are placed between the front and back surface sheets(FIG. 31(a)). In this process, the front and back surface sheets areplaced such that the sealant layers thereof oppose each other. Inaddition, the top gusset sheet 64 and the bottom gusset sheet 62 aremountain-folded such that the sealant layers thereof are at the outerside. Further, for the interior sheet 66, a sheet having the heat sealcharacteristic on both surfaces is used.

After the sheet are placed, punch machining is executed using a punchingmachine 80 on the front surface sheet 60, to form the opening 71 in thefront surface sheet 60 (FIG. 31(b)). Then, in a state where a heatinsulation plate 82 is placed below the interior sheet 66, the upper andlower ends of the interior sheet 66 and the front surface sheet 60 areheat-sealed (FIG. 31(c)). The heat seal is executed by pressurizing andheating the outer surface of the front surface sheet 60 with a thermalseal bar 84 having a linear heating unit.

Then, a heat insulation plate 86 is placed between the portions of themountain-folded top gusset sheet 64. In this state, the peripheral edgeof the top gusset sheet 64 and the ends of the front and back surfacesheets are heat-sealed, and the peripheral edge of the bottom gussetsheet 62 and the ends of the front and back surface sheets areheat-sealed (FIG. 31(d)). The heat seal is executed by pressurizing andheating the outer surfaces of the front and back surface sheets by athermal seal plate 88 having a heating unit of a desired seal shape. Ina subsequent process, the outlet plug 54 is inserted between the centerof the upper end of the back surface sheet 58 and the center of theupper end of the top gusset sheet 64. In order to allow this insertionof the outlet plug 54, the back surface sheet 58 and the top gussetsheet 64 are heat-sealed only at the sides in the width direction of theupper end, and the center portion in the width direction of the upperend is maintained in an unsealed state.

FIG. 32(a) shows the pouch container 50 after the heat seal step. Next,the side of the front surface sheet 60 of the top gusset sheet 64 whichis folded double is formed into a standing form (FIG. 32(b)). This isrealized by, for example, inserting in advance a guiderail 90 whichgradually deforms from a horizontal state into a vertical state betweenthe portions of the top gusset sheet 64 which is folded double, andtransporting the pouch container 50 along the guiderail 90. After theside of the front surface sheet 60 of the top gusset sheet 64 is formedin the standing form, the upper ends of the top gusset sheet 64 and thefront surface sheet 60 which overlap each other are cut, to set theheight of the upper end to be lower than that on the side of the backsurface sheet 58.

After the top gusset sheet 64 and the front surface sheet 60 are cut,the top gusset sheet 64 is again tilted, and the pouch container 50 isreturned to the flat state. The side portions of the pouch container 50are heat-sealed. In this process, a point seal Ps is also applied forbonding the ends in the width direction of the bottom seal portion 70 bformed by the front surface sheet 60 and the bottom gusset sheet 62 andthe ends in the width direction of the bottom seal portion 70 b formedby the back surface sheet 58 and the bottom gusset sheet 62. Similarly,a point seal Ps is also applied for bonding the ends in the widthdirection of the top seal portion 70 t formed by the front surface sheet60 and the top gusset sheet 64 and the ends in the width direction ofthe top seal portion 70 t formed from the back surface sheet 58 and thetop gusset sheet 64. After the side seal portion 70 s and the point sealPs are formed, the long-length sheet is cut in a width of each pouchcontainer 50 (FIG. 32(c)). FIG. 32(d) shows the pouch container 50 afterthe cutting process.

Then, the outlet plug 54 is inserted between the top gusset sheet 64 andthe back surface sheet 58. Specifically, first, in a state where the topgusset sheet 64 is suctioned and held by a first suctioning member (notshown) and the back surface sheet 58 is suctioned and held by a secondsuctioning member (not shown), the first and second suctioning membersare moved in directions away from each other so that a gap is formedbetween the back surface sheet 58 and the top gusset sheet 64. Then, theattachment portion 74 b of the outlet plug 54 is inserted into the gap.After the attachment portion 74 b of the outlet plug 54 is insertedbetween the back surface sheet 58 and the top gusset sheet 64, while thestate of sandwiching the attachment portion 74 b is maintained, theupper end of the back surface sheet 58 and the upper end of the topgusset sheet 64 are heat-sealed. As is clear from FIG. 32(d), in thepresent embodiment, the front surface sheet 60 is cut during themanufacturing, and is set lower than the back surface sheet 58. Becauseof this, the upper end of the back surface sheet 58 is not hidden by thefront surface sheet 60, and is exposed outside. This enables easyexecution of the operation to separate the back surface sheet 58 and thetop gusset sheet 64, the operation to insert the attachment portion 74 bbetween the sheets, and the operation to heat seal the upper ends of thesheets, which are described above.

As is clear from the above description, in the present embodiment, theholding portion 68 is formed from a sheet similar to the sheet formingthe pouch container 50. As a result, the holding portion 68 can beeasily formed by only adding, to the typical processes for the pouchcontainer 50, a formation step of the opening 71 on the front surfacesheet 60 (FIG. 31(b)) and a bonding step of the front surface sheet 60and the interior sheet 66 (FIG. 31(c)). In other words, the pouchcontainer 50 having the holding portion 68 can be manufactured withoutsignificantly changing the manufacturing process of the related art. Inaddition, by cutting the upper end of the front surface sheet 60 duringthe manufacturing process to set the upper end at a lower position thanthe back surface sheet 58, it becomes possible to execute the attachmentstep of the outlet plug 54 by similar procedures as that in the relatedart.

Alternatively, the above-described cutting step of the front surfacesheet 60 (FIG. 32(b)) may be omitted. In this case, the formation of thepoint seal Ps may be executed after the attachment of the outlet plug54, instead of before the attachment. Specifically, when the point sealPs is not formed in the step of FIG. 32(c), one side of the top gussetsheet 64 which is folded may still be lifted as shown in FIG. 32(b).Therefore, after the side seal portion 70 s is formed and thelong-length sheet is cut into a predetermined width, the side of thefront surface sheet 60 of the top gusset sheet 64 may be shaped in astanding manner using the guiderail 90, the side of the back surfacesheet 58 may be exposed to the outside, and the outlet plug 54 may beattached in this state. After the outlet plug 54 is attached, the pointseal Ps may be formed. With the use of such a manufacturing method, thelength of the front surface sheet 60 in the up-and-down direction can beset at the same length as the length of the back surface sheet 58 in theup-and-down direction, and thus, the capacity of the overall pouchcontainer 50 can be further increased.

In FIG. 27, as described above, two long holes elongated in theup-and-down direction and aligned along the width direction areexemplified as the opening 71. In this case, of the front surface sheet60, a portion sandwiched between the two long holes (band portion)functions as a handle to be gripped by the user. However, the shape,number, and size of the opening 71 are not limited so long as thefingers can be inserted. Therefore, the opening 71 may be, for example,a cut-in in which the front surface sheet 60 is broken in a line inplace of the long-hole opening. In addition, the number of the openings71 may be plural or one. When a plurality of openings 71 are employed,as shown in FIG. 27, of the front surface sheet 60, a portion betweenthe opening 71 and the opening 71 functions as the handle gripped by theuser. In addition, in FIG. 27, the opening 71 is shown to have a longerlength in the up-and-down direction, but the opening 71 mayalternatively be elongated in the width direction, so long as theopening 71 has a length to allow insertion of the finger. Alternatively,four openings into each of which each finger can be inserted may beformed in an aligned manner (refer to FIG. 24 showing the firstpreferred embodiment), and the fingers may be inserted into respectiveopenings when the pouch container 50 is held.

In a pouch container 50 x shown in FIG. 33, a tongue piece 78 isprovided on a holding portion 68 x. FIG. 33 is a perspective view of thepouch container 50 x in which the tongue piece 78 is provided on theopening 71 (state where the tongue piece 78 is folded inside), and FIG.34 is a cross-sectional diagram along a line GG of FIG. 33. In thetongue piece 78, a part thereof is connected to a front surface sheet 60x at an edge of the opening 71, and the remaining part is separated fromthe front surface sheet 60 x. When the pouch container 50 x is held, thetongue piece 78 is turned (folded) outside or inside as shown in FIG.33. In this case, a curved surface 78 a is formed by the tongue piece 78at the edge of the opening 71. Because of the existence of the curvedsurface 78 a, biting of the finger by the edge of the opening 71 isreduced and the holding characteristic is improved.

The opening and cut-in forming the opening 71 do not need to be formedin advance, and a perforation or a half-cut line for forming the openingor cut-in may be formed in the front surface sheet 60. In this case, theuser may break the front surface sheet along the perforation andhalf-cut line to form the opening 71 when the holding portion 68 isrequired such as when the contents are to be poured.

The interior sheet 66 preferably has the same width as the front surfacesheet 60 for the convenience of manufacture, but the width is notnecessarily the same width, and the width of the interior sheet 66 maybe set smaller than the width of the front surface sheet 60. Inaddition, an end surface of the interior sheet 66 can be isolated fromthe internal space of the pouch container 50 similar to the case of thefirst preferred embodiment (refer to FIGS. 10-12).

The structure described above is merely exemplary, and the structuresmay be suitably changed so long as the pouch container is a pouchcontainer 50 having the bottom gusset sheet 62 and the top gusset sheet64, and has the holding portion 68 on the side opposite from theattachment surface of the outlet plug 54. For example, the size (aspectratio) or the like of the pouch container 50 may be suitable changed.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST First Preferred Embodiment

10 POUCH CONTAINER; 11 FRONT SURFACE SHEET; 12 BACK SURFACE SHEET; 13BOTTOM GUSSET SHEET; 14 FILLING PORTION; 15 UPPER END SEAL PORTION; 16BOTTOM SEAL PORTION; 17 SIDE SEAL PORTION; 18 SPOUT; 19 CAP; 20 OUTLETPLUG; 21 CUT-OUT; 22 PLANNED CUT LINE; 23 SLANTED SIDE PORTION; 25HOLDING PORTION; 26 INTERIOR SHEET; 27 INTERNAL SPACE; 28 END EDGE SEALPORTION; 29 OPENING; 30 CUT-IN; 31 BAND PORTION; 32, 34A, 34B, 35A, 35BTONGUE PIECE; 33 TAPE; 35 TICK

Second Preferred Embodiment

50 POUCH CONTAINER; 52 CONTAINER BODY; 54 OUTLET PLUG; 58 BACK SURFACESHEET (FIRST SURFACE SHEET); 60 FRONT SURFACE SHEET (SECOND SURFACESHEET); 62 BOTTOM GUSSET SHEET; 64 TOP GUSSET SHEET; 66 INTERIOR SHEET;68 HOLDING PORTION; 70 SEAL PORTION; 71 OPENING; 74 SPOUT; 76 CAP; 78TONGUE PIECE; 80 PUNCHING MACHINE; 82, 86 HEAT INSULATION PLATE; 84THERMAL SEAL BAR; 88 THERMAL SEAL PLATE; 90 GUIDERAIL

1-13. (canceled)
 14. A pouch container comprising: at least one of wall-surface sheets that form at least a first surface and a second surface which oppose each other; and a holding portion, wherein the holding portion comprises: at least one of an interior sheets that is bonded to an inner surface of at least one of the first surface and the second surface and that is provided over an entire length in a lateral direction of the pouch container; and an opening formed on the wall-surface sheet to which the interior sheet is bonded, at a position overlapping the interior sheet.
 15. The pouch container according to claim 14, wherein the wall-surface sheets include: a first surface sheet that forms the first surface; a second surface sheet that forms the second surface and that forms a tubular structure along with the first surface sheet; and a bottom gusset sheet that connects a lower end of the first surface sheet and a lower end of the second surface sheet.
 16. The pouch container according to claim 15, wherein the interior sheet is bonded to the inner surface of the first surface, and the opening is formed on the first surface at a position overlapping the interior sheet.
 17. The pouch container according to claim 15, wherein the interior sheets are bonded on respectively the inner surfaces of the first surface and the second surface at positions opposing each other, and the opening is formed on each of the first surface and the second surface at a respective position overlapping the interior sheet.
 18. The pouch container according to claim 16, further comprising: a pouring outlet that establishes communication between an inside and an outside of the pouch container, wherein the pouring outlet is provided at a bonding portion between an upper end of the first surface sheet and an upper end of the second surface sheet.
 19. The pouch container according to claim 17, further comprising: a pouring outlet that establishes communication between an inside and an outside of the pouch container, wherein the pouring outlet is provided at a bonding portion between an upper end of the first surface sheet and an upper end of the second surface sheet.
 20. The pouch container according to claim 14, wherein the wall-surface sheets include: a first surface sheet that forms the first surface; a second surface sheet that forms the second surface and that forms a tubular structure along with the first surface sheet; a top gusset sheet that connects an upper end of the first surface sheet and an upper end of the second surface sheet; and a bottom gusset sheet that connects a lower end of the first surface sheet and a lower end of the second surface sheet.
 21. The pouch container according to claim 20, wherein the interior sheet is bonded to the inner surface of the first surface, and the opening is formed on the first surface at a position overlapping the interior sheet.
 22. The pouch container according to claim 21, wherein a position of the upper end of the second surface sheet is lower than a position of the upper end of the first surface sheet.
 23. The pouch container according to claim 21, further comprising: a pouring outlet that establishes communication between an inside and an outside of the pouch container, wherein the pouring outlet is provided at a bonding portion between the top gusset sheet and the upper end of the first surface sheet, and the holding portion has the interior sheet bonded to the inner surface of the second surface and the opening formed on the second surface sheet at a position overlapping the interior sheet.
 24. The pouch container according to claim 18 wherein the holding portion is provided at a lower side of the container than the pouring outlet.
 25. The pouch container according to claim 21 wherein the holding portion is provided at a lower side of the container than the pouring outlet.
 26. The pouch container according to claim 16, wherein an end surface of the interior sheet is isolated from an internal space of the pouch container.
 27. The pouch container according to claim 18, wherein an end surface of the interior sheet is isolated from an internal space of the pouch container.
 28. The pouch container according to claim 21, wherein an end surface of the interior sheet is isolated from an internal space of the pouch container.
 29. The pouch container according to claim 23, wherein an end surface of the interior sheet is isolated from an internal space of the pouch container.
 30. The pouch container according to claim 16, wherein the holding portion has a tongue piece in which a part is connected to the wall-surface sheet and a remaining part is separated from the wall-surface sheet.
 31. The pouch container according to claim 18, wherein the holding portion has a tongue piece in which a part is connected to the wall-surface sheet and a remaining part is separated from the wall-surface sheet.
 32. The pouch container according to claim 21, wherein the holding portion has a tongue piece in which a part is connected to the wall-surface sheet and a remaining part is separated from the wall-surface sheet.
 33. The pouch container according to claim 23, wherein the holding portion has a tongue piece in which a part is connected to the wall-surface sheet and a remaining part is separated from the wall-surface sheet. 